Our Married Life » Health

Post partum recovery

Christina — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:45:33 +0000

Most of my post partum issues are gone. Except for two really annoying ones. Carpal tunnel and that annoying numbing sensation on my left thigh. The doctor said the numbness will go away in a few months. Thank goodness there isn’t pain and it doesn’t bother me.

But the carpal tunnel needs to go away. It’s terrible and is making me weak in both hands. I can barely put my seatbelt on because if I happen to hit the right nerve, the pain would shoot down my arm. I also think the way I hold the baby while she’s nursing doesn’t help it either. Hoping it’s not a permanent issue…

Another emergency

Christina — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:12:04 +0000

Early yesterday morning at around 4:30am, I woke up feeling a slight trickle. It was a weird sensation, so I got to go to the bathroom thinking maybe my water broke?? It turned out to be blood, and lots of it. I called Brian, told him we needed to call the doctor to see what the heck was going on. The doctor didn’t seem too concerned, but told me to come in first thing in the morning at 8:30. A few minutes later, I passed a huge blood clot (gross I know), and we made another call to the doctor. She told us to go immediately to labor and delivery. Sooo, at 5am in the morning, we got dressed, tried not to panic and headed to the hospital. They strapped me to a baby monitor and wanted to see if I was experiencing any contractions. The baby’s activity was normal, there were no contractions, and the bleeding stopped. The doctor showed up at around 8:30, and mentioned that there wasn’t really a need to do any further testing. She told me to go home and rest.

It was quite the scare and it’s been the most eventful week.

Physically, I feel fine. No real aches or pains. Chest is feeling better but still a bit sore if I lay on my left side. I’ve been sleeping at least 7 hours a night, albeit uncomfortably.

Let’s hope nothing new or strange pops up. I’m hoping NOT to make any more trips to the hospital between now and Christmas Day.

More breathing stuff

Christina — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:26:47 +0000

Maybe it’s a symptom of my chest condition or not. But I’ve noticed that my sense of smell has bee heightened. It’s very sensitive. I couldn’t stand in the painted nursery for more than a minute without feeling sick. People’s breath or lunches, don’t get me started….

I guess the third trimester is when I get to experience all the fun stuff.

In recovery

Christina — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:18:19 +0000

I saw my doctor yesterday as a followup to the ER trip. She couldn’t determine what it was either and pretty much told me I had to deal with it. I was better by the the time I saw her, but by that evening after my run to the grocery store the pain came back again. Grrr. If it continues to persist we may have to do some additional tests. The only thing the doc can think of is that the pleural membrane around my lungs is inflamed. Unfortunately I can’t take any inflammatory meds or steroids.

It’s gotten somewhat better today only because I’ve been taking it easy. Brian is finishing the paint job in the nursery while I sit and watch tv. I still feel the pressure when I breathe, but it’s not painful.

I hope whatever this is goes away soon.

The baby has been moving around quite a bit. It’s so fun to just lay there and feel her. We can’t wait to see her.

Cabin Fever is no fun

Christina — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:50:20 +0000

I finished my 7 mile run on Saturday though, so I at least accomplished something. Of my training that is the biggest accomplishment. Although each run, be it 1 mile or 7 is a challenge. I struggled during the last mile, only because I was near the end of my route and had to run a second lap around a park to finish out the mileage. I was also VERY thirsty and my lips were starting to dry out. I can see now why people wear the water belts. I may need to get one of those for myself. By the time I got home, I had a hard time stretching because my entire body was so worn out. On top of my run, I had a busy day planned, so by the time I got into bed at 1am, my body was worn out. I watched TWO movies on Saturday, Blue Valentine and True Grit. We went to the late showing of True Grit, and I was sooo uncomfortable during the movie. My legs were still sore, and I just wanted to stretch out. I fell asleep within 5 minutes of the movie starting so I missed the first third of the movie. :-p

My diet was fine Saturday morning, but I blew my calories at Chuys during dinner with chips and queso and even twinkies (because it was Elvis’ birthday, we got free cake and twinkies). I think my dinner came out to be over 1300 calories which is pretty much my days worth. Thank goodness I ran. My net calories for Saturday came out to be 1306 which is below my target of 1400; however, I’m not sure that’s any good because of all the fat I consumed. In hindsight my ordering choice was fine. I ordered a cup of soup and one taco. It was the chips and queso and twinkies that did me in.

I woke up the next day feeling fine and my legs were no longer sore. Thank goodness for the short recovery!

I had no plans to do anything or go anywhere yesterday. But somehow being locked in the house because of the snow made me all grumpy.

I didn’t have much to cook with at home so I made pasta for dinner. Also, since I didn’t have anything to do, I made homemade cheese crackers with wheat and organic cheese. It was only a small batch, but it definitely met my snack cravings. Total net calories for Sunday was 1623…over my target… Before bed, I did a set of 30-40 pushups only because I felt the need to do something physical to end the day.

Let’s hope the rest of the week is better.

I have to run an 8 miler sometime this weekend. Yikes!

By the way, here’s the recipe for the cheese crackers. I substituted the white flour with whole wheat flour and added in 1 tbs of red pepper flakes.

No physical activity yesterday

Christina — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:07:05 +0000

I did very little to no physical activities yesterday, even though it was a running day. Just wasn’t feeling it, and the fact that I was cutting calories was starting to catch up with me. I was HUNGRY.

My daily net calories yesterday was 1482…only 82 above my daily goal. Not too bad I suppose.

I wanted to do the plyometrics workout in lieu of running yesterday, but just didn’t want to change and go through the mess of working out. So I sat in front of the tv all night after dinner. I did manage to do 10 minutes of yoga stretching at 10pm last night since my back was hurting. That only gave me the energy to vacuum instead of help me fall asleep. At least I got something done. The vacuum picked up LOTS of dog hair this time around. It’s probably why Reesey’s skin allergies has been acting up. I’m hoping to do a better job this weekend of thoroughly cleaning up the upstairs rooms so we’ll see how that helps.

I packed my gym bag today, so I’m hoping to get my run completed.

Not sure if I’m looking forward to the 7 miler this weekend. It’s supposed to rain and cool down again.

Successful start…sorta

Christina — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:01:10 +0000

Despite having pizza and greasy salty chinese food, I think so far my calorie intake has been pretty reasonable. That’s due to the fact that I’m doing well at breakfast and lunchtime.

Yesterday’s net calories was 1182. I kept the physical activity light. I can’t remember if I was supposed to run or not, but my left knee was still recovering from the 4 mile run. I doesn’t hurt, but kept popping. Don’t want to overdo the training.

I did 20 minutes of light yoga and a modified version of the P90X Chest and Back workout…modified being I didn’t do all the reps AND I skipped the pull ups because I don’t have a device do to so. That’s ok, because it felt like I’ve done more push ups in the last 4 months than I ever have. P90X is most certainly challenging.

Looking forward to tonight and actually cooking. I need to get another run in either today or tomorrow.

Recap for yesterday

Christina — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:37:26 +0000

Yesterday wasn’t too bad. I had a cereal bar for breakfast before I ran. Oatmeal and almond milk after my run. Then a Subway sandwich for lunch. Unfortunately for me, I still had my in-laws over so we went to dinner at Yao Fuzi. Soup dumplings, yum. Even though I didn’t do so well at dinner, my net calorie intake was 1108. Not too horrible I guess.

I’m looking forward to cooking tonight and may be starting the first series of P90X.

My joints finally recovered from yesterday’s run after a good night’s sleep.

2009 Resolutions

Christina — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:52:53 +0000

Recap of 2008. There were several ups and downs but overall it was a good year.

1. Brian got a new car.
2. Dad got sick and was hospitalized for 2 weeks.
3. We got puppy Leah.
4. I traveled to Richmond for work.
5. Both my parents health has been stabilized.
6. We went to San Diego for vacation.
7. My maternal grandmother passed away. Click here to see neat a mausoleom my mom’s family built in Cambodia.
8. We bought a dining set (my half of the deal since Brian got the new Macbook). Only one more room to fill – formal dining room.
9. We threw a holiday party.
10. Took a much needed vacation where I did absolutely nothing.

So here’s my personal resolution for 2009. I know it’s silly to make resolutions especially when they’re broken in about 2 months, but hopefully, just maybe I keep these resolutions.

1. Workout 4-5 times a week
2. Learn how to meditate
3. Read at least 1 book a quarter
4. Eat more veggies
5. Eat out no more than once a week at work
6. Cook more
7. Blog more
8. Wake up earlier and begin a morning routine (ie. do chores, walk the dogs, eat breakfast, chill, then get ready)
9. Organize our closet
10. Do more gardening
11. Read the news more
12. Organize the stuff in our cabinets
13. Fix the hole in the ceiling of our dining room
14. GO TO EUROPE

I think all of these are attainable, with the exception of the last one. We’re hoping to plan a big trip for the fall, but I haven’t even begun to do my research. I was hoping I was going to get some that research done during my holiday vacation, and I suppose I still have a couple days left, but the task seems to be overly daunting. Maybe I should just call the travel agent that a friend recommended.

Happy New Year everyone!

Meditation

Christina — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:28:30 +0000

I need to learn how to meditate. I’ve never been one to see the benefits of meditation, but I really need a way to relax and clear my mind. My brain never shuts off even while I’m asleep. I think if I can just invest 10-15 minutes relaxing and meditating that will at least alleviate some of the stress. I’m also going to change my diet. I hate feeling cruddy all the time and I’m sure whatever I’m eating is helping with that. What’s the point of working out if you don’t eat well?

So with that said, starting this week, I’m going to try to eat a semi vegetarian diet (limiting my meat intake to once or twice a week, gotta start slowly). I packed myself a bowl of whole wheat couscous with some feta mixed in. So what is sparking all of this?? My visit to the doctor yesterday was ok. My blood pressure is on the borderline of the prehypertension stage (130/90) and I need to get it down. It’s not a horrible thing, but I should start watching my body. That’s probably why I get headaches all the time. So with these small changes, I am hoping that things will get better in 2 weeks when I return to the doctor. I am sure the fact that my dad was in the hospital earlier this month and the looming PMP exam which is in TWO days isn’t helping with my stress. But once the test is over, things will we back in order. In fact, I plan on spending the weekend shopping and gardening. I’ve been waiting all season to be able to replant our flowers.

I’ve been sick all week

Christina — Sun, 06 May 2007 02:14:11 +0000

It sucks being sick. I woke up last Saturday with a sore throat. The next thing you know I was starting to cough really bad on Monday while I was at work. I then got a fever. Had to work until 8 and by the time I got home my body was so exhausted. Then the rest of the week I was pretty much swamped so of course my body had no chance to relax. I finally stopped by CVS on Thursday (worked late then too) to get some cough and cold medicine because I was sick of coughing all day at work. It’s still not gone, but not as bad.

Brian’s travelling for work on Monday and Tuesday, so I’ll be all alone. Poo.

In other news, our real estate agent said that the fence on the house blew down after this week’s storm. I guess that’s not too bad and they’re going to fix it.

Anyway, I can’t believe Saturday is almost over. We both woke up early this morning but napped in bed until 10 while Reesey was pissed off because she wanted to play. Then we went up to Stonebriar just to walk around and stopped for some margaritas at the Blue Goose in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Mmm Mexican Martinis. After we got home we napped some more. It was much needed rest though since we’ve both been working hard all week.

Workout Gear

Christina — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 01:02:52 +0000

Yesterday, Brian and I went out shopping. He wanted to buy the Nike+ workout clothes so he can start running. He dropped 280 bucks on workout clothes. YIPES. His butt better be out running every morning! What’s funny is it took him 30 minutes to put iPod in his shirt today before going out to run.

I guess if I ever start running, it would be cool to have. But I’d have to get a nano. I’m fine with just the elliptical. My left knee has been bugging me. I’m not sure what it is. I definitely felt the pain when I was walking up the stairs at Willow Bend. It may be related to wearing heels more than usual, maybe the cold weather, who knows. I hope it’s only temporary.

Anyway, for those wanting to go shopping, Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft has some good sales.

This morning, Brian and I went to Central Market to pick out our vDay dinner. I figured he should make something simple. So we came out with stuff for homemade lasagna. It was Brian’s first trip to CM and he told me never to shop there again, said it everything was a rip off. :-p, whatever dude, that boy would rather have hamburger helper than real food for dinner. Speaking of which, I guess I better get started on that filet of fish for dinner.

Another night of bad sleeping

Christina — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 15:25:07 +0000

Despite putting in a good workout yesterday and eating a decent dinner and the temperature being cooler, I still did not sleep well. I woke up this morning exhausted from all the tossing and turning. I can’t blame Reesey for sleeping in the bed as well, bc she doesn’t really bother me. Maybe I need to switch sides again, or maybe we need to completely rearrange the furniture. Brian says I need to go see a doctor, but what good would that do? They’ll probably just prescribe me some Ambien or something. I’m just not comfortable. I think this weekend I’m going to go out and buy new pillows. Brian likes to buy the cheapos from Wal-mart that goes flat in about 2 weeks, and for some reason I always manage to pick out the really firm pillows. And maybe I should get rid of the clock. It’s the first thing I look at when I wake up in the middle of the night. Maybe that’s distracting me. Anyway, I’m hoping this coffee will at least week me up for the day, I’ve got two meetings in the afternoon.

No water

Christina — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 22:14:47 +0000

I am trying to drink more water, like 100 ounces a day. First step is to get myself a water bottle, you know like Ozarka or Dasani or something. That way I can refill straight into the bottle. Anyway, I was walking with my cup to the water cooler, but of course it’s empty. Either I attempt to replace that myself and hurt my fingers in the process like I did last time, or just come back. That was two hours ago, and I never went back. So much for that 100 ounce… I guess I still have half a day left, but drinking all my days worth of water in one sitting doesn’t count does it??

Hospitals are completely inefficient

Christina — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 19:35:50 +0000

Seriously, I bet there are more patients who get sick from staying the hospitals but absolutely nothing gets done on a timely basis. My dad checked into the hospital at 2am into the emergency on a Friday night. He did not get to see a doctor until 2pm the next day. Secondly they wanted to keep him there until they completed some tests (sonograms), and of course he had to wait until Monday to get it done. I guess the labs closes on Sunday…what if it was life threatening??

Then I get a call today saying he can go home in 45 minutes. I drive over there during my lunch break, expecting to just pick him up, but of course the nurses have NO clue if he’s even been signed off on or if the doctor has seen him that day. I SPOKE TO THE DOCTOR ON THE PHONE MYSELF!!!! They told me to just come back after work because they can’t get their acts together. I just want this to be over with, and yes I’ve been bitter about it, not because I have to take care of my parents, but because I AM THE ONLY ONE responsible enough to do so, since my siblings are useless. Granted, they live thousands of miles away, but seriously, if they really cared, one of them would fly down. I’m pretty sure that they’re glad they’re not stuck with that responsibility.

Anyway, I just want my life back. I want to be able to just go home, cook, work on stuff and spend time with my husband and dog.